Bachelor Pad's Chris Harrison: The Twist Forced Michael to Play Out in the Open

Just when it seemed that house womanizer Chris would experience some payback, a twist was revealed: The players would vote out a woman who would then single-handedly choose a man to exit with her. Last year's winner Michael, aware he'd be on the chopping block, tried to get his friend Erica out. But when his plan was discovered, she turned right around and took him out with her.

Below, Chris Harrison dishes on Michael's "Hail-Mary" plan, the new romances popping up, and how Ed made a big gaffe. Plus: Next week Nick will finally speak!

Talk about timing for a twist. Chris was pretty much a dead man walking!Chris Harrison: Like last year, we like to put those twists in when everyone expects it the least. In my opinion, it forced [Michael] to come out in the open. He's been able to play the a puppet master behind-the-scenes who gets the others to do his dirty work, and finally he had to step up and come up with this crazy master plan that almost worked.

He was so confident in the plan, too. Harrison: Michael is very confident and arrogant, especially when it comes to the game. It was a Hail Mary, a last-ditch effort and it could not have worked better if Chris hadn't jokingly said to Erica, "I'll take you in the booth with me." It was a bizarre stroke of genius for Chris because Erica was definitely not going to vote for Michael until that happened.

We didn't see much of the discussion as to why Michael was so sure he'd be out had Sarah gone home. Why was he so worried?Harrison: Everyone knows he's the kingpin of the house and the ring leader of that alliance, just like he was last season. You have to kill the king, and Michael was running the house. Erica saw it all happen last season. [She] maybe regrets not taking him down, and this time was like, "You're not going to waltz your way back into the finals like you did last season."

Did Erica take her insults too far after the elimination?Harrison: Totally, but I'm going to chalk that up to her being emotional in the moment. It was a bit uncalled for and maybe over the line, but I also don't know what's gone on between them in the house, so maybe it was deserved. But I was taken aback. I know she feels betrayed and stabbed in the back, but it was the only way he could survive when they changed the game.

Did you think Rachel would leave?Harrison: Rachel all but walked out the door, and I was about to tell them if Rachel leaves, Erica is back in the game. I think Michael figured that out and talked her into staying. Now we partner up and ... Nick stumbled upon not only a great partner, but a business partner. They know they're in it for the game and not a relationship. So they may be one of the better couples in the house, oddly enough.

Were you happy to see Kalon and Lindzi get some time in the spotlight?Harrison: I'm glad Lindzi and Kalon finally get their due, and everybody has been clamoring to see more of this couple. Take away the game, this is the most surprising story to come out of Bachelor Pad. It's America's sweetheart and one of the despised guys from Emily's season. But in my opinion, this is the real Kalon. What he said to Emily was stupid and ignorant, but is he a bad guy? No. The best part about Kalon is he's in on the joke and pokes the bear a lot on purpose. I think it's awesome he's talking about falling in love.

Would you have predicted Blakeley and Tony to hit it off?Harrison: Never in a million years, although Blakeley is an insecure girl and wants to be protected and taken care of and Tony is that loyal, protective father. He fits all the things Blakeley is looking for and all the things Chris wasn't. This definitely shocked me, and it was fast and furious. It was almost overnight that they became a couple.

I loved that they danced to former contestant Wes Hayden's song "It Don't Take That Long."Harrison: Bachelor Pad is all an homage to our fans. When I saw it for the first time I was like, "Oh my God, we didn't!" So, I hope our real fans will think it's awesome.

And then there's Ed and his comment about not wanting a relationship. Is he downplaying his feelings towards Jaclyn or is he just not into it?Harrison: Of course he's not — it's Ed! Ed isn't on the same level as any human being, especially when it comes to human emotion. His track record speaks for itself, and at least with Jaclyn he told her. Sadly, [it was] in front of everyone else, making it one of the biggest male gaffes ever. But Ed is not known for his tact and he knows he sucks at relationships. He's terrible with women. He gets them and he's with them but he doesn't know how to do the whole relationship thing.

What can you say about next week's episode?Harrison: It's a spelling bee, but heavily slanted towards The Bachelor. Some of the words are real and some are made up in the Bachelor realm. Nick finally gets to speak on the show because he has to, and I'll say this: he people you think are going to do well may not do so well. You may be stunned [by] who does.